College Work (Broward College-FAU)
Select pieces finished during my overall college tenure, from both colleges that I went to. Largely instructor-directed, but many of these involved my own creativity, as well as personal thoughts and feelings.
"Sleep Fighter"
The final assignment for my first college-level art class. The format was however we wanted it to be, so as long as it fit in the picture frame we were required to buy at the start of the semester. Here, I chose to depict myself as a battered fighter in the center of a scene featuring elements and figures from my most recent and memorable dreams.
"Fragments of the Inner Self "
One of the earlier assignment for my first college-level art class. Here, we were required to take pictures of ourselves that we could use to create a "distorted" self portrait. I opted to cut and slice a few different pictures of myself and paste them together to create a portrait that displayed my mental turmoil.
"Cut the String I"
The final assignment for one of my first art classes at FAU. It was a design class, but for the final assignment, outside of the instruction of making something based on a photograph of ourselves we were allowed some freedom. Being that this happened close to a highly distressing event regarding cutting some people out of my life, I chose to depict me slowly cutting myself away from them.
"Florida Beach"
One of the few pieces made outside of a college setting. I made this during a summer learning camp for mentally disabled adults to learn life skills, where we all got a chance at making our own paintings based off of a previously existing one. Despite the circumstances, I keep this as part of my body of work due to my love of all things about the beach and the ocean, and how near and dear such things are to me.
"Danger"
An assignment for the second of two painting classes I had at FAU. Here we had to practice some manner of abstraction, inspired by chosen artists, and I brought in elements of highly saturated color, gradation, and playing with paint texture. I then chose to make an image of my parents a little more disturbing, to describe the feeling of anxiety I used to have regarding coming to them about personal matters.
Portfolio: Trauma Series
The primary focus in my new work for my Bachelor of Art senior portfolio, made mostly digitally. Circling around characters in my original story, Luxa Tenebrisque, and their inner turmoil that I relate to as well.
"Trauma: Abstain"
First part of this series, circling around the character of Kaimell. An amnesiac, she constantly lives with a gaping hole in her memories, that part of her fears why she might have forgotten what happened. What was so bad that she can't remember, not even through miraculous means?
"Trauma: Agitate "
Second part of the series (but first to be concepted), circling around the character of Gisela. A princess, she already has a responsibility to her nation to grow into the role of queen one day, but being put into her role so young, and being mentally unprepared, she is constantly treated as lower than she is by the council governing in her place. She prays she does not reach a breaking point as her father had.
"Trauma: Avow"
Third part of the series, circling around the character of Shaun. The younger of two brothers, but his older brother was favored more for falling into the traditions of his mother's more conservative side of the family. Living in shadow and feeling a sense of injustice, he coped by developing a hypersensitive, almost self-sacrificial sense of justice for himself. One that does indeed almost get him killed.
"Trauma: Agonize"
Fourth part of the series, circling around the character of Blake. He lived much of his life on the streets after running from home following his mother's death. However, when his father returned under the influence of darkness, granting him back that familial affection if he obeyed the plans of the dark god, despite everything he went back. And yet knowing the ethical dilemma he continued going against what was right for that comfort until it would choke him.
"Trauma: Reaching Out"
The final part of the series, and intended to contrast the previous four. Involving the outstretched hands of the previous four characters, as well as another one: Awano, the primary antagonist of Luxa Tenebrsique. After being used by the dark god, he was tossed aside and left to die, but when all was said and done, he had people who reached back out to him. That he could come back to to recover from this with.